IPB streamlines prepress and reduces inspection setup time with AVT AutoSet

IPB Printing, Reusel, Netherlands https://www.ipbprinting.com/en/ Designing and producing flexible, innovative packaging solutions for a wide range of customers, IPB has branches in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The company’s 65 employees serve customers all over Europe, delivering innovative printed packaging services with up to nine colors in small or large print runs.

“Operators do not like to spend too much time using the computers to input data for the inspection system setup,” said Remco Huijbers, IT Manager at IPB Printing. “We were looking to reduce our setup time, but we also needed to ensure we verified the inspection used in every job, even the short runs. We knew that time pressures meant that operators were avoiding using the inspection system because they felt it simply took too long to go through the setup.

“As we were familiar with Esko’s AVT inspection solutions - having had the Helios S 100% inspection system since 2017 - we started looking at the various optional modules available.”

AVT AutoSet from Esko was designed to enhance the overall print environment by automating job setup and eliminating setup time and the need for manual intervention. With AutoSet, data is automatically sent from the Esko Automation Engine to the AVT inspection system, where even very short runs can be automatically inspected, resulting in exceptional print quality and process control.

The installation process at IPB was complex, as it was the first time Esko had implemented the solution for In-Mould label production, which required a unique, bespoke approach.

“Despite this, the installation was completed without any interruption to production,” said Remco. “Once deployed, AutoSet then performs automatic job setup, job verification, auto identify barcodes, text, and die lines for print defect detection and trend analysis. Automation Engine prepares an inspection package with all relevant data, while the press operator scans a barcode with the job ID or alternatively, selects the print job that is about to start on the press. AutoSet then loads the inspection package for that job and inspection starts automatically after setup.”

“Now that we have AVT AutoSet, we use the inspection system more than we did,” said Remco. “It removes the need for the operators to manually input the data for the inspection system setup, so they have much less work to do during job setup. Because of this, they are under less time pressure and can actually focus on the print and on the print quality.”